Radioactive
by Krystal Shepard
Summary: AU - Jonathan Shepard has been a Council Spectre ever since the Alliance all but banned him from the Sol system after Mindoir. Now aboard the SSV Normandy to evaluate the first recognized Human Spectre candidate alongside Nihlus, what exactly can go wrong when the Eden Prime mission hits? And how will it change what happens after between himself and Commander Kaidan Alenko?
1. Chapter 1: New Assignment

Radioactive

Fanfiction by Krystal Shepard

A/N: Radioactive is a purely fanmade story. I hold no rights to its creation.

That being said, this story has two central AU's. I know, quite a bit more than I probably should have, but just believe me that this'll be good.

In Radioactive, my Shepard is a Colonist, with a twin brother who survived the Mindoir attack but sustained heavy injury to his legs. Upon reaching Citadel space, Jonathan requested that he join the Alliance for biotics training – the first time he had extensively used said biotics was Mindoir – and was rejected. No one expected the strength of his biotics, so the Alliance Brass thought that he was part of an illegal experiment, and a danger to his fellow humans. He was effectively banned from entering the Sol system, along with his twin. Instead, the Asari Councilor approached him with a Spectre position, training on Thessia, and full payment for all of his brother's medical expenses by the Asari government. I am jumping the rails here. Hope you enjoy the ride! The second AU will be explained in the bottom notes!

Chapter 1: New Assignment

Council meetings were always boring. That much was a certainty that one learns while living amongst the members of the Citadel who enjoyed the thought of being around the politicians. Of course, one of those people, first human Spectre, and by far the youngest Spectre ever, Jonathan Shepard, did not exactly have a choice in the matter.

However, any way someone looks at it, Council meetings were boring.

This particular one, Jon almost had left before he even heard what it was about. Of course, it was a combination of things: he was nearing the beginning of his menstrual cycle, the cramps had started the day before, and he had been given ambiguous orders to join an all-human ship for reasons that "were going to be explained shortly." The moment he had seen Ambassador Udina, he knew that this was not going to be a good meeting. The pig-headed man had a way of grating against his nerves – maybe it was because he was the man who signed off on his inability to travel to the Sol system all those years ago. The one thing, or should he say person, keeping him there, was Nihlus, someone whom he would consider a friend and has nearly died to protect from the line of fire. A heavy, clawed hand was sitting on his shoulder, all but pinning him to the spot where he stood. Jon had long since crossed his arms in complaint, and had been ignoring what was being said.

Until Nihlus flicked his ear. He flinched, sending a glare towards the Turian, who only twitched his mandibles. "You really should pay attention. I know you don't like him, but he's just giving the Council a briefing on the Systems Alliance's new prototype." Jon's glare intensified.

"Just because we've been assigned there for who knows what reason does not mean I have to listen to the man who denies my very existence," he bit out in a quiet voice, so only Nihlus would hear him. His Turian friend's mandibles only twitched once more.

Before he could continue, Udina's voice finally cut through Jon's mental block. "The Alliance also has placed our Spectre candidate aboard the SSV Normandy, Commander Kaidan Alenko. He has yet to be informed or evaluated, so I must request a Spectre to go along with our prototype for as long as the evaluation must last." Councilor Tevos gave the Human Ambassador a small nod.

"We have already chosen our two Spectre's to evaluate the Commander. Nihlus, Jonathan, please step forwards."

Human and Turian both stepped up level with Udina, Jon making sure his gaze was directly in front of him the whole time. He could not help but notice that Nihlus purposefully moved so that Jonathan would have to be between the Turian and the Ambassador.

His stomach almost twisted itself into a knot and forced his lunch up at the thought.

Udina glanced the two over and scowled. "I only see one Spectre here, Councilors," he said disdainfully, "and it is not the human you have called forth." Sparatus looked like he was about to launch himself at the Ambassador.

"Shepard has proven himself as a Spectre for years. Why can't you just accept the fact, Ambassador, and move on?" Jon smirked on the side opposite Udina, so only Nihlus would see it clearly. The Ambassador shifted and crossed his arms.

"The Systems Alliance has already stated that we do not recognize Jonathan Shepard as a Spectre. Therefore, he is not allowed on one of our warships." Taking a deep breath, Jon forced the laughter that attempted to bubble out of him. Oh, this was going to get interesting.

"Jonathan has been ordered to oversee the evaluation of Commander Kaidan Alenko by the Council, a force in which you have no say in who gets placed where, Ambassador. This meeting of the Council is adjourned. Spectre's, we wish you luck." And with that, the three Councilors left. Jon let his smirk cross his entire face, and when he turned to leave, he gave Udina a shit-eating grin.

"I win."

Jon Shepard was not someone to be trifled with. Luckily, his fellow Spectre Nihlus, who was also boarding the prototype Alliance warship, called the SSV Normandy, with the human biotic, understood this fact. One only had to look at his track record: one of only two members of the Mindoir raid that lived, he was the only human biotic refused by the Alliance because he was "too dangerous to be around other humans and had to be some part of an illegal experiment", had received training on Thessia when it came to his biotics and gunmanship, and whom just a year after being flat out banned from the Sol system not only had beaten an Asari matron in a sparring match but was also inducted into the ranks of the Council's Spectre's. That should have made it necessary to inform the crew of his temperance, much less his actual presence aboard the ship.

Apparently, his good friend Anderson did not get the memo that he was coming along.

He received some odd glances from the crew as he strode on board with Nihlus right next to him, violet eyes burning as he headed towards the bridge. Nihlus placed a clawed hand on his shoulder, making the twenty-nine year old pause and turn to face his elder counterpart. The Turian might as well have had a wary look on his face. "Listen, Shepard, you try and acclimate to the human crew while I inform the Captain about our, arrival," the Turian suggested, that wariness hidden deep in his vocalization. Jon tilted his head, a sly smirk twisting his lips.

"Don't worry about me," he said quietly, winking at the elder Turian as he walked in the opposite direction, towards where he believed the crew quarters were. His Spectre fatigues stuck out amongst all of the Alliance, but he did not care. His only job was to check out this Commander Alenko and see if he's up to snuff.

Jon was so focused on heading to the crew quarters and racking out that he did not notice when a bouncing young man started following him. That was, until said bouncing young man placed a hand on his shoulder.

Bad mistake on his part.

Jon gripped the young man's wrist tightly, using it as a leverage point to twist the young man around and pin his arm painfully against his back. "And you are?" he asked in a quiet, patient voice, not entirely caring that the entire crew was staring at him. The young man chuckled nervously before clearing his throat.

"Um… Staff Lieutenant Jenkins, sir. Can you please let me go? This is kinda hurting," the young man asked, glancing back with trepidation in his blue eyes. Jon blinked before releasing the young man, who immediately brought his arm in front of him, rubbing at the abused shoulder and wrist. "Thanks. Sorry I startled you," Jenkins said, turning to face Jon with a large grin on his face. "I was just curious. You're obviously not used to being around fellow humans, being a Spectre and all, so I just wanted to help you get to know everyone on board, if that's all right."

Jon blinked several more times, carefully keeping his face blank as he thought over the offer. It was a good one to make: Jenkins was someone that the crew knew, and he seemed like the type of person who would know just about everyone on the ship. And it would give Jon time to "acclimate to being around humans again" as Nihlus would put it.

Slowly, Jon nodded his acceptance. "Can I drop my stuff off at my bunk first?" he said, holding up his bag so Jenkins could see. The young man's grin grew, buzzed head bobbing in excitement. Jon gave a small nod before following Jenkins towards the crew quarters.

Jon smiled as Jenkins brought him to yet another group of crew members, feeling more than a little out of place amongst the all-human crew. The conversation was practically inane chatter and gossip, nothing really for him to note. Jon started looking around for anything to draw his attention away from the chatter of the three before him when Jenkins seemed to perk up and run off towards someone else.

"Commander Alenko!"

Jon whipped around to the direction that Jenkins had all but bounced off to. The young Lieutenant was currently bouncing around what had to be the Commander that Jon and Nihlus were to examine for Spectre rank. He raised an eyebrow at the man before him, almost not believing that this man was a Commander. He barely looked older than Jon, had hair that Jon had never seen before on someone in the military – not that he'd ever seen very many humans outside of the Citadel, and they stayed far away from him on principle, and currently was rubbing at his temples like all he wanted was to swat Jenkins away from him and go off to a quiet corner of the ship. Shaking his head, Jon walked over to the two, listening as Jenkins rattled on about how shocked he was that the Commander was on board, if he needed someone to show him around, if he could answer a few questions the young man had…

Jon sidled in next to Commander Alenko and told Jenkins, "Hey Lieutenant, why don't you go talk with the crew? I think the Commander here might need to see the doctor." Alenko glanced at him with a thankful look in his gorgeous whiskey colored eyes, causing Jon to have to force down a flush and shift slightly to readjust a certain area, while Jenkins practically squeaked an apology and scrambled off. Jon rolled his eyes at the young Lieutenant, which helped to hide the fact that his eyes were starting to trail down the Commander's physique, before turning his attention to Alenko. "Come on, I'll take you there," he offered, jerking his head in the direction of the med bay. The Commander paused for a second, looking him over – and widening his eyes when he saw the Spectre symbol on his fatigues – before slowly nodding.

"Sorry if I'm a little… off, you could say?" the Commander started with as Jon started towards the med bay. "I've had a migraine since yesterday morning, and all of my meds had been sent here the day before that." Jon nodded, knowing the feeling; all of his migraine meds had been destroyed when the raiders had hit, and those meds were the one thing keeping him out of pain while he had to hide his biotic abilities. They remained in silence for the short distance to the med bay, and Jon waited in the doorway as Alenko approached the doctor, a thin, graying woman who almost appeared younger than her gray hair led him to believe. "Hey Chakwas," Alenko said, "did you get my migraine meds two days ago?" The doctor, Chakwas as the Commander called her, glanced up and chuckled.

"Commander Alenko, I'm starting to think that you are stalking me. Yes, they did show up. Top right cabinet, dark red bottle as always," she said, remaining professional as she returned to the datapads before her. Or, almost returned to them, seeing as how her graying head jerked back up when she saw Jon in the doorway. "Spectre Jonathan Shepard, I do not believe we have met." Jon gave her a smile. He liked this woman. "Doctor Karin Chakwas, Alliance Medical. I'm the CMO aboard. If you have any injuries or are in need of medication like some people," she turned a tasteful glance to Alenko, who had the decency to flush and look away, "then I'm the one responsible." Jon nodded.

"Actually, I probably should talk to you anyways…" Chakwas tilted her head, so he continued: "Throughout my career, I've found that some medication's do the exact opposite of what they're supposed to do when I take them. Only fair I should warn you that if you prescribe anything while I'm aboard," which might be longer than any of them knew, "that they might backfire on you." Jon swore that Chakwas' eyes lit up.

"You have an opposite reaction to medication?" Alenko had asked the question, pausing afterwards to dry swallow the pills he needed to take. "Isn't that, well I don't know, mostly unheard of?" Jon shrugged at the question.

"Actually, other doc's think it might just be human medication. Someone mixed up while I was on Thessia, and I wound up with an Asari sedative being injected into the IV, you know, since there aren't that many humans on Thessia to begin with. Was knocked out for days after that." He pushed away from the doorway and walked into the room fully, door sliding shut behind him. "Then the Salarian's tried to put a normal sedative in me so they could pull shotgun shrapnel out of my back. Didn't work out so well," he shrugged once more, this time from remembering the tiny pieces of metal that still sometimes work their way to the surface of his skin.

Chakwas looked like she was a kid in a candy store.

Alenko, however, was a bit skeptical.

Lucky for him, the comm. opened up in the med bay, and someone said, "Shepard? The Captain would like to see you." He nodded before a, "You too, Commander," was added. Alenko groaned, shaking his head as he trudged past Jon to the door.

He felt the need to say, "We'll be there momentarily," before leaving.

Jon followed Alenko up the stairs and to the briefing room at the back of the bridge. He had to admit, the view was almost as nice from behind the man as it was from the front, and Jon most certainly was not beyond ogling while he had the chance. All too soon, however, the view was removed, and Jon was forced to look up to see Anderson once more.

A grin worked its way across both men's faces. Anderson walked over to Jon, and as soon as they were close enough they gripped hands tightly and pulled one another into a one-armed hug. "Shepard, its good to see you again," the Captain said before pulling back. "Since I had no time to tell you last time we saw each other, I did try to convince the Brass to give you a chance." Jon's grin increased.

"David, it's fine. I take it you got the sit rep?" He received an odd look from his old friend, and he sighed out a, "No you weren't." Giving Nihlus a hard glare – which at least caused the Turian to shift uncomfortable if not wince slightly – he said, "Sit rep on my file was what I meant, which my lovely cohort was supposed to tell you, as ordered by the Council."

Nihlus gave his version of an eye roll. "If you two were so close, I had figured that you would tell him yourself."

"Oh yeah, and what was it that Councilor Sparatus said again? 'Nihlus, you make sure the captain knows about the improvements in Shepard's biotics once you get aboard?'" Jon placed his hands on his hips and let the right jut out. "Really, Nihlus?"

Insert Turian shrug here.

Jon threw up his hands. "I swear I have to do everything," he grumbled, looking up at the ceiling before returning his attention to Anderson and Alenko, who appeared to be doing a lot better now that he had taken his medication. "All right, I'm only going to say this once. After I was forbidden from entering Sol space, much less joining the Alliance, due to me being a "threat to other humans and an illegal experiment, so fuck you", Councilor Tevos approached me with, literally, an offer I could not afford to refuse: full training on Thessia, Spectre ranking, and the Asari government would pay for my brother's medical expenses." He rolled his neck, cracking it unintentionally as he walked around the room to one of the seats. "I really had no other option, and honestly, all I cared about was making sure my brother wasn't going to be in any pain. I accepted, was taken to Thessia for training, and Jason received the best medical care possible. A year later, I was sparring an Asari matron in pure biotic combat and managed to beat her, matching her biotic power for biotic power even. Apparently, my biotics decided to grow to match those surrounding me in power." Gingerly, he ran his fingers over the back of one of the seats, not looking at the three who were raptly listening – he had never told Nihlus this, and it really wasn't put in Jon's file the way he was telling it. "The rest is history: been a Spectre for the past twelve years, recently highly regarded amongst their ranks, and the most powerful human biotic in the galaxy."

Silence came from the other occupants in the room, and when Jon glanced up he saw them all staring at him. "What?" he asked, defensive all of a sudden for no real reason. "I'm supposed to take care of my baby brother, and that's what I did. The fact that I also became a Spectre was a bonus in my mind." Anderson shook his head at that, but continued on.

"Thank you for informing me. I had just figured that the three of you needed to be properly introduced before we leave the Citadel and head for Eden Prime." Anderson fell into his professional role nicely, his face going stony. "You two don't cause any trouble, understood? I don't want the crew hating you any more than you probably dislike the crew." Out of the two Spectre's in the room, Jon received the harshest glare. "And I hope I do not have to place you, Shepard, under Alenko's watch like you were placed under mine a long time ago." Jon flushed.

"Hey now, I've cooled down some since then. That was thirteen years ago, David." Jon waved a hand as he walked out, adding over his shoulder, "That and you guys had pulled me off of a battlefield that had once been my home. You actually expected me to be somewhat stable?"

He did not wait for a reply, walking straight to his bunk and collapsing for the night cycle, completely worn out from all of the interaction he had today.

1) Carriers are humans who are normally more fertile than other humans, and can be either male or female. However, due to weak genetics in comparison to the Protectors, or even the regular humans, Carriers had died out in the late eighteen hundreds, mostly unknown to the normal population. In the late twenty-first century, genetic researchers unearthed the basic Carrier gene, and had managed to turn that into a legal genetic modification. If the Carrier is male, then they are capable of bearing children as well as siring them. There have been no natural Carriers since they died out.

2) Protectors are humans who have naturally high protective instincts, normally towards the Carriers, and can be either male or female, although they normally are male. Their genetics are stronger than a normal human's, thereby creating a high number of Protectors, especially after the Carriers had died out. Since then, it was normal that a Protector was a soldier, seeing as how they really had no other choice in the matter. A Protector is genetically wired to do just what their name suggests: protect people, no matter whom or what cost that protection will be. Since the gene-mod for the Carriers had been created, there have been numerous Protectors that have families now, instead of constantly going into the army and dying in combat.

Side Note: Carriers and Protectors have to be kept separate while in the military due to the Protectors genetic requirement that they protect the Carrier with their life. This, of course, causes some issues while in the military. Also, Carriers are given the right to say whether their "gender" is the normal male/female, or if they want the Alliance to know about their actual genetics and keep the gender of Carrier. This helps in separating the Carriers from the Protectors, however if a Carrier declines to have his/her public gender to be what they really are, then it is at their own discretion and they must deal with the consequences. (The Carrier's Rights Bill of 2156 had established this. (Yes I am totally creating a law for this XD))


	2. Chapter 2: Eden Prime

Radioactive

Fanfiction by Krystal Shepard

A/N: Radioactive is a purely fanmade story. I hold no rights to its creation.

Whoot, longer chapter!

Chapter 2: Eden Prime

During those first few days on the SSV Normandy, Jonathan Shepard had only been around a few very certain people, on duty or off, thanks to his absolutely horribly timed menstrual cycle:

Nihlus, which was obvious since they were both Spectre's and both on a human ship for the first time, was the first person. To each other, they were the only familiar people on board the ship. They would walk around the ship, making "inspections" while managing not to show that they were practically following the Commander around the ship. Jon did manage to get the Turian away from that so that he could drag him to one of the poker games the crew had established in the mess, but shortly after it started Nihlus up and left, presumably back to his bunk.

Anderson was the second, and one only had to look at their history to understand why. After the Captain's shift Jon would be invited up to his cabin for a late night chat and an occasional chess game, the both of them working their way through the thirteen-year gap in their memories of the other. Anderson filled Jon in on the events leading Anderson to the position he now, leading him through the battle of the Skyllian Blitz, and the massacre on Akuze. Jon mainly stuck to how Jason was doing, how he had managed to get through the surgeries like they were nothing, and how he could still kick a man's ass while being confined to a wheelchair. Anderson actually thought he was not being serious, until Jon showed him a scar from where Jason had thrown him across the room and he grazed a sharp pole sticking out of one of his artifacts.

Jenkins, surprisingly, was the third. Out of the entire crew, this was because the young man was the only person not scared of him – or hating his very existence. The two had actually started bonding through poker by the time they got remotely close to Eden Prime. Granted, the young man did not know as many types of the game as Jon had seen, so they mainly stuck to Skyllian Five – and Jon still managed to get almost all of the credits in the pot every time – but they had fun, and Jon started to consider him a younger brother. Which was odd since he really did get annoyed almost every day with the young Lieutenant.

Finally, there was Alenko, the fourth person he was most often seen around. Jon admitted to being fascinated with the man, and Alenko most certainly showed his own fascination, and skepticism, towards Jon. Their conversations were kept quiet, huddling together while at mess as they talked about their own experiences with their biotics, how they used them, how they were treated because of being a biotic. As Jon got to know the Commander, he started understanding why much of his file was kept confidential: he was almost more ashamed of his biotics rather than taking pride in them, and whenever they started talking on their training he let Jon take the lead, occasionally asking questions about life amongst other races and how they trained and treated their biotics. Not once had Jon found out how and where the Commander had trained. Jon also started wondering, as he had more and more time to examine the man, if they had ever met before. A faint remembrance of a mission early in his career came to mind, where he was called in to save a small squad of Alliance marines that had been lured and trapped on the Citadel of all places, winding up getting himself nearly killed while getting the group of three – they had lost two in the fight with the mercenaries that had trapped them – out of the situation. He remembered a sentinel being in the squad, and then Jon went into his first cycle and the sentinel, the only Protector around that Jon knew about, had to help him through it. The closer he looked at Alenko, the more he thought he saw that Protector from all those years ago, the sire of his one child that stayed with Jason and helped him around the office.

The trip itself, minus those interactions, was actually fairly quiet for Jon. He managed to hide from the rest of the crew his little… problem, sneaking pads from the female crewmembers that were also Carriers and understood his situation and suffering through the cramps in silence. The day they were getting close to the mass relay, he had barely managed to stand in the cockpit with Nihlus watching as the pilot, whom everyone called Joker even though that was not his name, steer them towards the relay. The co-pilot, a Lieutenant that Jon had not bothered getting close to, was monitoring the fuel outputs and engine functions. Jon had just settled against the doorframe as Joker started giving off their readings:

"The Arcturus Relay is in range, initiating transmission sequence." There was a pause while the sequence got connected, and then Joker added, "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination." Jon turned his head as he heard footsteps heading up to the cockpit, and he forced down a grin as he saw the Commander walking towards them purposefully. "The relay is hot, acquiring approach vector." The two biotics caught each other's eyes, and Jon nodded sharply to the elder man, who returned the nod with one of his own. "All stations secure for transit." Alenko reached the cockpit and stood beside Nihlus, whiskey colored eyes focused on the darkness before him, more than likely looking for the relay itself. "The board is green. Approach run has begun." The two human watchers shifted slightly, making sure to grab onto something as they neared the relay itself. "Hitting the relay in three… two… one…"

And then the blue light of the relay encapsulated the ship and slung them in the direction of their destination.

Joker kept his eye on the screens before him, quipping off, "All systems check. Drift… just under fifteen K."

Nihlus nodded. "Fifteen K is good. Your Captain will be pleased." Jon leaned against the unoccupied radar set-up, deciding to stay behind as Nihlus walked past. The fact that he was having the worst cramps of his life most certainly helped. Joker glanced behind him shortly.

"I hate that guy."

It seemed that Alenko had raised an eyebrow before stating, "Nihlus gave you a compliment. So, you hate him?" Jon settled back and decided to watch the show, now that Nihlus wasn't there to watch the Commander.

Joker's dry sense of humor came out in his next quip: "Oh, you remembered to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's great." Alenko shook his head, but did not argue with that. Jon just found it hilarious. "Besides, and pardon me for saying this Shepard, Spectre's are trouble. I just don't like having one poke around my ship, that's all."

"The Council helped fund this project, they have a right to send someone to make sure it works properly," the Lieutenant added to the conversation before receiving three glares from the others. He stayed silent after that.

"Yeah, if you believe the official story. Only idiots believe the official story," Joker stated, causing Jon to have to bite his tongue. The helmsman was right, that was only the official story. And when Anderson commed in, Jon was not shocked that himself and the Commander were called to the briefing room once more. Without a backwards glance, he pushed away from the radar station and strode off the cockpit right as Joker said, "Watch out, Captain. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant."

Jon full out smirked as he heard Anderson's dry voice say that. There was the David Anderson he knew and trusted.

Shaking his head, Jon quickly traveled to the briefing room, nodding to Nihlus before all but lounging in a seat. "So, need some good old Turian tension relief before mission start?" Jon questioned, a sly smirk on his face. Nihlus leveled a glare at him before shaking his head. "Sparring only, I know that's how Turian's deal with pre-mission stress."

"There is no one aboard who is capable of making sure that we do not hurt each other, Shepard. Besides, you're having those cramp things, and I know how much pain you're in. The answer remains no." Jon pouted.

"Aw, come on. No one will spar with me, and the only person aboard who ever has sparred me is you. Please?" Nihlus shook his head again, turning when Alenko entered the briefing room. The pout formed into a smirk once more. "Ah, and let the games begin," he said under his breath, knowing full well that the elder Turian would hear him. His smirk grew as the Turian gave a very human-like huff.

"Commander, I was hoping you'd get here before the Captain so we could have a few minutes to talk," Nihlus started with. Jon almost raised an eyebrow at the subtle tenseness between the two.

Alenko shifted to one side, asking, "What about?"

Nihlus almost answered, but Jon beat him to the answer. "How much do you know about this planet we're going to?" Alenko gave him an odd look, more than likely because of the sudden professionalism in his voice.

The Commander slowly said, "I hear its peaceful there, but never been myself. Its our oldest colony, and the farthest out in the Attican Traverse." He looked between the two Spectre's confusion and wariness written into his – very handsome – features. "Why ask?"

A glance at Nihlus told Jon to shut up for the time being. "That is correct, however there is more to this than a normal shakedown run."

Anderson stepped in then, stating, "They located something at one of the dig sites, and they want us to pick it up so it can be properly analyzed on the Citadel. The group of scientists that we have had contact with believe this is something of galactic importance, thus the Council involvement." Jon nodded at that.

"We've been sent out to ensure the safe transport of the artifact, and to make sure it goes to the correct location on the Citadel," he added. Alenko turned to Anderson at that point.

"Why wasn't I informed earlier, Sir?"

"This information is on a need to know basis," Anderson stated, chopping his hand against the palm of another. "We cannot afford to have this get leaked out. Who knows what anyone in the Terminus systems would do to get their hands on this?"

Alenko looked disbelieving at that. "Sir, not even the Terminus systems would risk causing a war with the Alliance," he tried to disprove.

"Over this, they would. The archaeologists found a Prothean beacon. I think they might just start a war over that," Jon quipped, studying his nails instead of focusing on the glare being leveled at him. "And… there might be one other reason for us Spectre's to be on board," he added carefully, sneaking glances at Nihlus and Anderson from underneath his eyelashes. Alenko shifted again, and Jon could practically see the eyebrow raise that he was receiving from the elder human. Since no one else was getting to that, Jon sighed and admitted, "Nihlus and I have been ordered here to oversee the mission, along with watching a potential Spectre candidate on board. That candidate," Jon almost lazily pointed a finger at Alenko, looking at him from underneath his eyelashes as well, "would be you, Commander. Lucky you, you get two stalkers for several more missions after this one." His smirk formed once more at Alenko's dumbstruck facial expression. Oh, how he loved seeing that expression on people's faces when he tells them that.

"Spectre candidacy?" Alenko turned to Anderson, and his voice was almost high pitched from the worry laced into the words he spoke. "Captain, the Brass knows that I'm not the type of person for the Spectre's. You've seen my file, you know that I'm not fit enough for the position." Anderson was shaking his head at the Commander by the time he finished his ramble. Jon was really starting to like this candidate already; he was humble about being picked for the Spectre's, quite unlike several other candidates who did not work out in the past.

"You're exactly the type of person that the Brass wants as the second human Spectre…"

"First recognized human Spectre," Jon could not help but add. Udina reminded him of that all the time.

"And you are more than capable. Besides the early part of your history, there is nothing to say that you should not be allowed in the Spectre's," Anderson finished, almost like Jon had not blatantly interrupted him. "I was there when we picked you, and Nihlus himself proposed that you be a candidate to the Council before the decision was made."

Alenko shot the Turian a shocked glance, to which Nihlus said, "Not all Turian's think humans are the scourge of the galaxy. And I, for one, hold no grudge against you for what you did on Jump Zero." Jon swore that he saw a flush on the Commander's cheekbones as he turned away. What happened on Jump Zero?

He opened his mouth to add more, but right at that moment Joker came on over the comm. "Hey Captain, I think you'll want to see this. It's a transmission from Eden Prime." Anderson walked over to the view screen, ordering the helmsman to show the transmission there.

Jon turned his head to face the screen, and frowned at the sight before him. It started showing forestry, with the sounds of gunfire in the distance. A woman in white and pink armor yelled at the person holding the camera to get down, pushing him out of the way as she started shooting at whatever was attacking them. The camera went unfocused for a second, before a man was yelling, "This is squad 212 on Eden Prime. We are under attack." A metallic groan cut off what else the man was going to say, and the faces of the soldiers around the camera went slack in shock. Once the camera turned to face it, Jon felt his eyes widen slightly. He knew Nihlus more than likely was twitching his mandibles, and as the transmission cut out Jon knew that the mission just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

"That's where it cuts off, Captain," Joker said, voice almost forlorn as he reported that.

Anderson quickly ordered, "Rewind and hold at 38.5." The transmission rolled back until the oddly shaped ship was back on the screen. Jon glanced at Nihlus, whose mandibles were twitching at full force now. "Status report," Anderson requested of Joker.

"Five minutes out, Captain."

Anderson turned to Nihlus and said, "Gear up and get ready. Not you, Shepard." Jon blinked, confused as to why he was being told to stay behind. "Kaidan, I want you, Shepard, and Jenkins to gear up and be ready in five minutes. You're leading the ground team." Alenko nodded, snapping a salute before all but running out of the room, more than likely to get Jenkins. Anderson turned to Jon and sighed. "I know I have no authority over you, Jon, but you're in the ground team to keep those two safe, along with observing Kaidan." Anderson walked up to Jon and placed his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "Please. As a favor for me." Jon felt his eyes soften, and he could only nod. Anderson nodded back, adding a, "Stay safe," before leaving the room.

Jon waited in full lightweight armor behind Alenko as Jenkins managed to barely get to the cargo hold in time. Anderson told them that their primary objective was to get the beacon, and while Jon did not entirely agree with that plan it was the only logical choice to make. Jenkins asked about finding survivors, and received a, "That objective is secondary." Jon smirked, deciding to continue with his rolling smart-ass comments.

"Oh, now you said it. Now I have to find them."

Oh, the glare that Anderson gave him was priceless.

Jon saw Nihlus checking his shotgun, and knew better than to ask who was going at drop point one. Jenkins, on the other hand, just had to say, "Nihlus! You're going with us?"

The Turian turned a small glare on the Lieutenant. "I work better alone," he stated, before giving Jon a nod. "Good luck."

Jon returned the nod. "You, too. Don't get shot." The Turian was spending too much time around Jon; he gave a snort in answer. A completely human snort. Jon would have felt accomplished, but in the circumstances he did not think it was a good idea.

And then Nihlus ran out of the cargo hold.

Alenko glanced at Jon, an odd look in his whiskey eyes. Jon knew his violets were twinkling mischievously; his smirk was reminiscent of the one he wore when playing a prank on his twin. "Don't worry, I'll follow your lead. For now." Jon's voice was light, playful, but he had meant what he had said. He always had to prove himself to other humans, because he was a Carrier, and there were still prejudices towards Carriers, especially when it came to strength and their ability to fight. Yeah, he was able to bear the kids; that didn't mean he was any less than the Commander.

…and the one reason why he was being a smart ass came back to bite him: another cramp hit him right at that exact moment. Oh, this mission was going to suck.

With a shake of his head, Alenko started off towards the edge of the cargo ramp, Jon and Jenkins following shortly afterwards.

Jon would never get over the feel of air rushing past him, and the sight of seeing the ground fall towards you faster than it should. All too soon, though, they reached the ground, Jon bending his knees so his thighs would take the brunt of the landing instead of the fragile, easily broken bones in his knees. He still winced slightly as the landing caused an answering jab in his side. Screw cramps. From the yelp of pain coming through the comm. that sounded like Jenkins, that trick was not taught to regular Alliance Marines. Alenko simply said, "Keep them bent when you jump and you won't have that issue, Jenkins."

A pitiful, "Yes sir," came back over the comm. line. Jon shook his head, moving to clear the area with his pistol at the ready. There was… nothing. No sounds, no movement, not even any distant noise of gunfire. It was as if they had landed in a vacuum. Or a trap.

"Area secured," Jon stated, lowering his pistol before turning back to the ground team leader. "So, any bets on who initiated the attack?" he asked, hoping to lighten the mood with some humor. Neither Marine took the bait, Alenko even leveling a glare at him. Jon sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. "All right, I give."

They stayed silent as they trekked onwards towards the dig site, reaching a small clearing a little ways beyond the drop point. Jon's eyes narrowed as he saw things floating in the distance, unsure whether or not they were enemies. He glanced to Alenko, and noticed the same expression on his face.

Jon was just a little bit faster. Although, using a biotic charge to get close, and then just shooting the things with his shotgun really was cheating. Jenkins almost marveled at his biotics, but was cut short when Alenko asked, "Was that really necessary?" Jon blinked, ignoring the cramps that were now pulsing through his groin area painfully, before sending the man a wide, shit-eating grin. He hefted his shotgun so it leaned against one of his shoulders.

"Had to make sure they wouldn't flank us, if they were dangerous, sir," Jon simply stated before throwing over his shoulder, "I'll scout ahead, see if I can find what attacked the colony." He turned and jogged down the path, shotgun still in his hands and eyes scanning the surrounding area. He was half listening when Nihlus reported in, stating that he was finding burnt out buildings, and that he was going on ahead to the dig site. Jon checked everywhere, senses on full alert, but he still found nothing of interest. Not even the birds were singing.

He made it to a narrow path, and waited for Alenko and Jenkins to reach his position. Alenko got behind cover, checked the path, before waving Jenkins forwards. The young soldier went ahead, Jon taking the other cover closer to the turn in the path to cover him in case something attacked. A low hum was all the warning they got before something started shooting Jenkins. The young man fell, leaving Jon and Alenko to fight off the small flying drones that the Spectre suspected were not security drones. The fight was over quickly, both Jon and Alenko taking turns shooting drones out of the sky with their pistols and biotics. Jon's barrier had been weakened slightly, but that only caused him to put more of his biotics into said barrier, forming a corona around his body that one could barely see through. Once the drones were down, Jon turned around and ran to check on Jenkins, Alenko following, medi gel at the ready. One look at the poor boy, however, told Jon that there was no hope in saving him; he was already gone.

After setting a beacon next to Jenkins's body, the two biotic commandoes kept moving, quickly finding themselves in another firefight with the odd drones at yet another narrow pass, this time with walls jutting out as their cover. Jon started throwing warps at the machines, and Alenko had come up with the ingenious idea of shooting the warps to cause an explosion. Luckily, this firefight lasted for less time than the last one. Alenko had stayed quiet for a while after Jenkins, and Jon had actually started wondering if the man had finally closed down when he finally got something out of the man:

"I know you've worked closely with other races."

Jon gave the Commander a confused look. "Well, yeah. Spent the last thirteen years around them. What's the issue?" Alenko shook his head and turned to Jon.

"Thirteen years and yet I never saw you act differently around the crew. Also, ever notice how we're practically seamless in a fight?" Alenko shifted to the right slightly. "Don't you think that's a bit weird?"

Jon shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm quick when it comes to picking up on other's fighting styles and adjusting my own for the optimal success in battle. Working with various Spectre's, who all have their own fighting styles, helps," he said, eyes scanning the area as he started moving once more. "I think I hear gunshots in the distance," slipped out of his lips before he even thought to voice it. Alenko jerked his head towards him, and Jon pointed in the direction where the very faint gunshots were coming from. "It's a distance away, but it's coming in that direction. Sounds like assault and sniper fire." Jon turned to Alenko, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Go check it out?"

Alenko stayed silent for a minute, before he grabbed his pistol off of his hip. "Go in at the ready, stay sharp," he ordered. Jon nodded, shotgun once again at the ready as he lead Alenko towards the gunfire.

It took a few minutes, in which the sounds got increasingly louder, and when they got to a rise Jon nearly stopped in order to see what they were up against. However, Alenko managed to get ahead of him, and had managed to get beyond the rise to see what was attacking them. "Shepard, I'd get up here if I were you," Alenko ordered, that hint of worry in his voice one of the only things making Jon move to the Commander's side. His violets turned to the Commander before surveying the scene before him:

One lone human was running away from two robots, which were placing another onto some form of device that turned into a spike and impaled the man. The human – and from the armor Jon judged that it was the same female that they had seen in the transmission – clutched at her assault rifle before checking outside of her cover.

Jon glanced over at Alenko, and saw the biotic barrier seconds before the bullets started flying towards the robots. He grinned, sending a warp over to one robot while preparing a biotic charge to the other. He flew across the field, slamming into the machine before slamming his fist in through the armor with a portion of his biotics behind it. Turning, he watched as Alenko practically stared at him in shock while the soldier came out of cover. "Thank you, Commander. I didn't think I'd be able to hold them off," she started saying, apparently drawing Alenko out of his shock and to the current situation. Alenko walked over to her, and started talking with her while Jon picked his way over, cramps finally starting to incapacitate him. Quickly, he dispensed a medi gel to dull the pain before he reached level with the two.

"The Geth have not been seen beyond the Veil in centuries," Alenko was saying. Jon raised an eyebrow at that. The soldier nodded her head.

"I know, but they're here now," she said, glancing towards Jon before asking, "Spectre, eh? Didn't know there was a human in the Spectre's already." Jon shrugged.

"Haven't been recognized for twelve years by the Alliance, so I'm not entirely shocked. By the way, have you seen a Turian around? Red face paint and armor?" He had to ask. There was no way that Nihlus would have shown himself to anyone, and they haven't heard from his fellow Spectre in a while.

The soldier shook her head. "No Turian's around, and even then they all look the same to me." She turned her attention back to the Commander. "If it is all right, I'd like to accompany you. I know the way to the dig site, and I'd like a chance to get back at those things for killing my squad." Alenko nodded his acceptance.

"You're welcome along, Ashley. Shepard," Jon tilted his head towards Alenko, "make sure to not hit her with any biotics. Something tells me that a single flare from you would tear through her shields." He flushed at that description of his biotics. However, the elder man had a point; this was why he never wanted to work with humans. The soldier was giving him an odd look, as if confused that his biotic flare would tear through her shields faster than being shot with warp ammo. Jon could only smile slightly, which turned out as more of a grimace.

The three of them continued on towards the dig site, running into more Geth as they went. As expected, Jon had to stay far away from this Ashley they picked up to make sure he would not obliterate her shields. Luckily, they managed to get through to the dig site fairly quickly, despite the interference. By that time, Jon had to dispense another medi gel, as his cramps were starting to really get bad. He also had to stop using his biotics, focusing on getting close and shooting them with his shotgun, before darting away. Alenko was looking worried, and had asked while they were walking up to the dig site, "You doing all right there, Shepard?" Jon shook his head.

"Yeah, just… having some issues. Might have overdrawn the biotics a bit. It'll only take a minute before I'm back up to speed," he lied right through his teeth. Jon did not feel like admitting that he was a Carrier to the man he was supposed to be observing.

Luckily, Alenko either did not realize it was a lie or ignored it.

They didn't find the beacon at the dig site, and Nihlus had finally reported in. "I'm heading to the airfield. Check for survivors in the camp just beyond the dig site," the Turian stated. Jon sighed, almost letting his shoulders slump in relief.

"You all right, Nih?" he asked, getting an odd look from Ashley. Nihlus snorted.

"Haven't been shot yet, if that's what you mean. Don't worry about me, Shep. Just do your job."

Jon shook his head, knowing full well that was Nihlus being the lovely Turian that he was. Ashley, on the other hand, just stated, "I take it that was the Turian you were asking about. I didn't know a human could get close to one of them." Jon gave her a glare. Oh, so she was one of those humans.

Great.

"Just drop it, Chief," Alenko stated, getting between the two as they walked up the path. "There's more to Shepard than you realize." Jon smirked for a second, pleased that the Commander was siding with him for some reason. Quickly, however, that smirk turned into a grimace as he felt like someone just stabbed him in the gut. He wrapped an arm around his torso, hoping that it would go away before they hit the camp. A lump settled in the bottom of his stomach, and a sudden dread started flowing through his veins.

Something was going to go wrong.


	3. Chapter 3: Spectre Down

Radioactive

Fanfiction by Krystal Shepard

A/N: Radioactive is a purely fanmade story. I hold no rights to its creation.

Chapter 3: Spectre Down

The trio cleared the science camp with no difficulty after dealing with those… things that had attacked them. Jon had hung back during the fight, throwing warps and holding a barrier around his allies instead of using his guns. He wouldn't have been able to shoot straight anyways, what with the pain now lancing through his groin and up through the main part of his torso. Luckily, it was over quickly, and Jon was able to shake off the expression of pain that wanted to twist itself across his face at that time.

They found two scientists in one of the storage lockers, and while Ashley and Kaidan went to talk with them Jon stayed behind, supposedly on the look out for more Geth. Instead, he was actually leaning against the wall, breathing heavily as he fought off the pains. Goddess, his cramps were never quite this bad before. What was going on? He pried open eyes that he did not remember closing, and unwrapped arms that had wound themselves around his torso, right as the door to the storage locker opened. Footsteps moved quickly to him, and Jon had to blink several times before his eyes would focus on the person before him: Alenko, whose whiskey eyes held a worry that Jon felt was unnecessary.

"Shepard, are you all right?" he was asked. Jon blinked one more time, wondering why the Commander would be so interested in his well being.

"I'm fine, Alenko. Nothing to worry about." Lie, that was all he did. That was all he ever did when this happened.

Alenko shook his head. "You're not fine, you haven't been going at the level you started at since we got Ashley, and I know you weren't in the best of conditions to start with. What is wrong?" The soldier walked over to them, confusion and worry in her eyes as well. Jon sighed, realizing that he was cornered.

"…I take it you two know about Carrier's, right?" he mumbled, keeping his gaze downwards and away from theirs. A resounding agreement came from the two. "Well… according to the doc's that knew human physiology while I was working with the STG, I'm more than likely the first natural Carrier in centuries, my brother being the second since he's the younger of the two of us. They didn't find any areas of gene mods for the Carrier genetics, thus the conclusion. And of course," he chuckled depreciatingly, "I'd started my cycle a day before I got on the Normandy. The cramps always kill me, especially close to the end. That's all." The two stayed silent, and when Jon lifted his eyes to meet their gazes he saw similar emotions: Ashley was shocked and sympathetic – then again, he had yet to meet a female, no matter the race, who did not feel sympathetic towards the menstrual cycle, while Alenko was shocked and… Wary?

Alenko backed off slightly, clearing his throat and, from the looks of it, fighting back a flush. "Ah. I see. If you need some medi gel to help…" Jon shook his head.

"Been applying the medi gel. The cramps fight their way through. I'll be careful, but in a hell of a lot of pain."

Alenko nodded, dropping the conversation at that. Jon watched the Commander start to walk off, and started pushing away from the storage unit, stumbling once as another cramp hit him. Ashley was right beside him in a flash, saying, "Easy there, Skipper," while looping one of his arms around her shoulders. Jon flashed her a thankful smile before the two started after the Commander in silence.

Silence, which was broken with a sharp pain in Jon's chest and a distant, familiar gunshot ringing in his ears.

Jon bit his lip harshly, fearing what they might find at the airfield. He activated his omni-tool, pushing away from Ashley as he did, and surfed through the comm. channels until he found one that did not belong: Saren's comm. signature was on planet. "Alenko," he said, catching the Commander's attention. "I think we have an unexpected visitor," he explained, waving the Commander over to take a look at what he found. "A Spectre who was not supposed to even be in this sector is on planet, close to where Nihlus' comm. signature is. Saren Arterius, a Turian who absolutely despises humans, and is one of the Spectre's elite." Alenko glanced at him.

"Do you know why he's here?" Jon shook his head. "Then we hope that it's something good, and expect the worst."

Jon wasn't too sure about that, but continued on with the two, managing to stay on his own two feet without help. He kept track of Saren's coordinates, monitoring them for any suspicious activity. They came over another rise, and Jon just happened to glance up when he saw it launching away: the ship from the transmission, scorching the ground surrounding it as it left the surface. Ashley yelled over the noise, "What is that?"

Jon shook his head. "No clue, but we have no time to worry about it. We need to get to the beacon." They headed down the rise, fighting off the Geth that were already there and quickly finding yet another group of survivors, three farmers turned smugglers. The small group was quick to rat out a dockworker that was helping them smuggle the weapons off planet, and as the squad of three started to leave the leader attempted to offer Alenko a smuggled gun.

Alenko promptly told them exactly where they could shove it before leaving them at their storage unit.

Jon was shaking his head, but understood why Alenko would do that. Smuggling was one of the ichors contaminating the galactic community, but unfortunately it was a profitable one. Even he would not have taken the gun, especially considering the fact that he'd more than likely lose his Spectre status.

They started for the loading dock, and Jon had a bad feeling about what they would see, especially considering Nihlus' signal had not moved since he started the track.

He was right.

Laying on the floor of the dock, surrounded in dark blue blood, was Nihlus. A bullet went right through the back of his head, and Jon almost felt sick to his stomach when he realized that he was calculating the caliber of weapon used to create such a clean shot straight through the brain stem of his best friend. He swallowed, almost stumbling forwards as he fought to maintain control over his body movements. Alenko was right beside him, trying to find some way to save an already dead man. Jon's eyes, however, were focused on the bullet wound. He had seen that wound before on so many Spectre targets it was not even funny.

Ashley caught sight of someone behind the cargo boxes, bringing her pistol up and requesting that they come out slowly. Turns out, it was one of the dockworkers who had managed to survive. Jon didn't care. Instead, he knelt down next to Nihlus while Alenko and Ashley grilled the man about his whereabouts during the attack and what had happened here. His gauntleted fingers brushed over the wound, gathering dark blue blood on his fingertips. Even before the dockworker had said that it was another Turian who shot Nihlus, Jon knew their culprit.

And he did not like the thought.

"It was Saren," he whispered, violets closing softly so he could imagine what had happened here. It was a clean cut, and there were no signs of struggle on Nihlus' body. Had to be from behind, and while the young Turian was standing. Which meant that Saren, in cold blood, killed his own student while tricking him into thinking that he was on their side.

He stood from next to Nihlus, eyes opening slightly as a cold fury started to flow through his veins. Alenko was saying something, trying to calm him down, while Ashley was trying her best to stay as far away from him as she could. Jon walked calmly past the two of them, ignoring the fact that there were Geth shooting at him as he made his way to the transport. Any Geth that got close was destroyed from the biotic corona flaring a good three feet away from him, others that were attempting to snipe him dropped as he turned his gaze towards them, enveloping them in a bright blue haze similar to a reave. He got to the control panel of the transport, knowing that Alenko and Ashley had followed him, and pressed in the commands to get it moving without much thought. The only thought filling his mind was that Saren, whom Nihlus looked up to like he was the Turian's father, had killed his best friend, and that he would pay.

He thought it was Alenko who had managed to get to all four bombs and disabled them, or maybe Ashley. Either way, Jon was still fuming coldly when they got to the other side, practically sending his strongest Reaves towards the Geth in one swell of biotic power, knocking them all out of commission. Alenko made sure that Ashley stayed out of his way while keeping a hand on Jon's shoulder, mitigating some of his biotics to form a barrier around the elder man, and becoming a constant presence in Jon's mind even as the female soldier started to fade from his radar. They made quick tracks to the Prothean beacon thanks to Jon, and he managed to calm down enough that the fury was no longer an issue and he could push it to the back of his mind. Saren had left, more than likely with his flagship, but Jon would make sure the Turian was removed from the Spectre position once they got back to the Citadel. He shook his head, drawing himself from dark thoughts as they approached the beacon.

"It wasn't doing anything like this when they dug it up," Ashley said, confused at the fact that the once inactive beacon was now glowing. Alenko turned from it, hailing the Normandy for a pick up and not noticing that Ashley had wandered closer to the beacon, her curiosity getting the better of her. Jon sidled closer to the woman, just in case something happened. He knew that Alenko could take care of himself, but with Ashley off in satiating her curiosity she would be slower to react.

And then all hell broke loose.

As if the beacon gave off its own gravitation, Ashley started to be pulled in, and the woman instinctively curled in on herself, hands moving to clutch at her head. Jon acted without thinking, grabbing her by the waist and dragging her out of the gravitational field. Unfortunately, by getting her out, he placed himself in her place.

His feet slid on the metal floor as he was dragged closer, and he could barely hear Alenko and Ashley as they yelled to each other about whether or not to get him away from the beacon. Then the pain hit, and he was pulled rigid up into the air before the beacon. His eyes were almost forced open, and then white filled his vision.

The hum of machines was what awoke him, his senses deadened from the pain medication that they more than likely pumped into him upon arriving back in the Normandy. Flashes of the dream kept popping into his already skewed vision, nightmarish screams and grating metallic groans filling his ears even as he heard Alenko say, "Chakwas, I think he's waking up." His eyes fluttered slightly, still heavy enough that he could not find the strength to open them as fully as he wanted to but just enough to see that Alenko was standing next to his bed while the doctor was rushing over to his other side. "Shepard, come on," Alenko whispered, something hidden deep within his gravely voice that would have made Jon's heart soar if he was more cognizant of his surroundings. As it was, he latched onto that voice as he continued to speak with the doctor. "Chakwas, are you sure you gave him the proper dosage?"

"Commander, please do spare me the insult of what you just suggested. Of course I gave him the proper dosage of the medication." Chakwas' voice was indignant, and Jon almost cracked a smile at that.

Alenko sighed roughly, asking, "Then why isn't he recognizing our presences?" One of Alenko's hands had somehow made its way into Jon's right, just resting there as its twin swept over his forehead. Jon decided to use that to his advantage, and squeezed his hand slightly, turning his head towards Alenko and almost forcing his eyes open just to prove that he was awake.

All he saw that time was fuzzy shapes, and an equally fuzzy astonished face, before his eyes slammed back shut and the world tilted kilter once more. His hands tightened on Alenko's, using that as his lifeline and attempting to draw himself out of the horrifying broken images playing through his head. The metallic screaming began again, and Jon gritted his teeth against the want to scream, pain filling his head once more. He thought that he heard a scramble of activity around him, but all he noticed was that Alenko was still next to him, letting his hand be held in Jon's crushing grip while the other made soothing motions over his forehead. Jon's breath by that point was coming in short, pained pants, with more than a possibility of small whines slipping out with each breath. He barely heard the voices, as if he was deep underwater and they were not.

A faint pulse came through him, and then he was gasping for air, eyes wide and everything in sharp images once more. Alenko and Chakwas held him down as he coughed, almost choking on nothing as he tried to take deeper breaths than what he was capable of. Jon closed his eyes as he started settling out his breathing, noticing that the side that Chakwas was standing next to shortly did not have hands holding him. Alenko actually took longer to let him go, helping Jon sit up before slowly pulling away. "Thanks," he gruffly said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed before cradling his head in his hands. "How long was I out?"

Chakwas was efficient in answering, "Fifteen hours. From the report that the Commander made, something went wrong with the beacon and it drew you in." Jon glanced over at Alenko, who was nodding.

"You managed to get Ashley out of the way, winding up being drawn in yourself," Alenko started with, a self-depreciating emotion in his whiskey eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten distracted. Maybe then this might not have happened." Jon shook his head.

"Nothing you could have done. If you'd been the one to get Ash out of the way, then we would just be in opposite places, or Ash would have been in here instead," Jon stated simply, a small smile on his lips. "You did what you had to." Alenko then did something that Jon did not ever believe would be directed towards him:

He gave a small, shy smile.

Jon blinked before returning his gaze to Chakwas, who was going on about him being physically able to return to duty and how his brainwaves were a little off. Jon rubbed at his temples before stating, "I… the beacon gave me some sort of vision before I passed out. It wasn't pretty." Chakwas hummed before running a few more scans on him.

"Well, I can't hold you in here any longer unless you're incapable of duty, and since you are, that means you're free to go," she stated just as the whir of the door opening caught Jon's sensitive hearing. He turned around on the bed to face Anderson, whose face was stony as he approached the three of them.

"Chakwas, if you could give us some privacy? The three of us need to talk," Anderson practically ordered. The good doctor nodded and swiftly vacated the med bay. Jon hopped off the bed and leaned against the edge, tilting his head as he watched Anderson start pacing. "What happened down there with the beacon? All I got was that you got too close, and it exploded," the elder man started with. Jon sighed heavily through his nose.

"David, I managed to get the Gunny out of the way before it pulled me in with a sort of gravitation field. What happened after more than likely was true, since I doubt the Council will approve of the fact that it gave me some horrifying vision before it exploded," Jon said in a tired voice, once again rubbing his temples with one hand while he did not even bother looking at the other two in the room. "I was still in the middle of it when I woke up." Anderson grunted at his answer, continuing his pacing before coming to a stop before Spectre and Commander.

"We're heading towards the Citadel now. The Council will want a report on this, and I hope you two can give them one." Anderson glanced towards Jon. "Jon, they will listen to when it comes to Saren. All of our accusations towards him will come from you; I'll make sure that Udina understand this." Jon snorted.

"He won't. I'm not recognized as a Spectre by the Alliance, remember?" Jon quipped, giving Anderson a look of, "You should know better." "Besides, Saren's going down, one way or the other. Nihlus looked up to him like he would to his father." Anderson nodded, turning his attention to Alenko.

"We'll want to see if the Council will allow you into the Spectre's sooner rather than waiting the full term for an evaluation. Now that this has happened, Udina's going to be pressing them for it." Alenko nodded silently, a glum look on his face. "I'll want to see you two and Gunnery Chief Williams at Udina's office as soon as we dock at the Citadel. Since you three were the ground team, you're just going to have to do." The both of then nodded their agreement before Anderson started to walk out, throwing over his shoulder, "And Jon? Warn me when you're going into your cycle so I don't send you into any of these missions." Jon rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath as he crossed the room after the Captain, trying to ignore the feeling of eyes staring at his back. Normally, it was him doing the staring, not the other way around.


End file.
